TRUMP DENIES RUBIO-MUSK CLASH OVER FEDERAL WORKFORCE CUTS

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- US President Donald Trump denied reports of an explosive clash between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Elon Musk over sweeping federal workforce cuts during a recent cabinet meeting, Xinhua reported.

During the Thursday cabinet meeting, a tense discussion began when Trump's cost-cutting chief Musk criticised Rubio for not implementing significant staff reductions at the State Department, with Musk accusing Rubio of firing "nobody," The New York Times reported on Friday.

Rubio, in response, highlighted that more than 1,500 State Department officials have recently taken early retirement in buyouts, asking whether Musk wanted him to rehire those employees, so he could make a show of firing them again, it said.

However, Trump dispelled reports of a clash between Rubio and Musk when pressed by a reporter Friday in the Oval Office, CNN reported.

"No clash, I was there," Trump said, "Elon gets along great with Marco, and they're both doing a fantastic job. There is no clash."

Trump vowed on Thursday to use a "scalpel" rather than a "hatchet" in federal workforce cuts, a statement made amid growing dissatisfaction and criticism of the aggressive layoffs in recent weeks.

"The move—to both publicly support Mr Musk and also reel in some of his indiscriminate approaches—reflects a growing unease among Republicans with the chainsaw that Mr Musk has taken to the federal government and the disdain he conveys not just for the bureaucracy but the workforce itself," said a report by The New York Times.

"Some cabinet members have voiced concerns to the White House about the chaotic nature of Mr Musk's 'ready, fire, aim' method of cuts, according to multiple people briefed on the matter," the report said.

Since the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk, began its work at the end of January, more than 30,000 US federal employees have been laid off across the country, according to media reports. The White House previously stated that approximately 75,000 federal employees have accepted a "buyout" plan, which offers them eight months of salary for "deferred resignation."

--BERNAMA-XINHUA